1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to conditioning compositions for skin and hair. More specifically, it relates to skin and hair conditioning compositions containing sucroglyceride conditioning agents, hair conditioners and hair conditioning shampoos.
2. Description of the Related Art
Human hair becomes soiled due to its contact with the surrounding atmosphere and, to a greater extent, from sebum secreted by the head. The build-up of sebum causes the hair to have a dirty feel and an unattractive appearance. The soiling of the hair necessitates it being shampooed with frequent regularity.
Shampooing the hair cleans by removing excess soil and sebum. However, the shampooing process had disadvantages in that the hair can be left in a wet, tangled and generally unmanageably state. Shampooing can also result in the hair becoming dry or "frizzy" due to the removal of natural oils or other hair moisturizing materials. After shampooing, the hair can also suffer from a perceived loss of "softness". Softness, of course, is a generally desirable attribute for many users of shampoo products. A variety of approaches have been developed to alleviate the after-shampoo problems. These range from the use of after-shampoo conditioning treatment, i.e., hair-rinses, to the inclusion of hair conditioners into the shampoo compositions themselves, i.e., conditioning shampoos.
Hair rinses typically work by depositing a polymeric film, cationic hair conditioning surfactant, or other material onto the hair. However, such compositions, due to a variety of problems, have not been fully satisfactory. For example, hair rinses are generally liquid in nature and must be applied in a separate step following the shampooing, left on the hair for a length of time, and rinsed with fresh water. This, of course, is time consuming and is not inconvenient.
Conditioning shampoos containing cationic conditioning agents have been disclosed in, for example, EP 018 717. These cationic agents confer some conditioning benefit on hair, but are often thought to leave a residue on the hair, which may cause dulling of hair after drying.
Non-volatile silicone oils are useful as conditioning agents. However, the use of such oils is associated with some difficulties. A particularly difficult problem encountered with shampoos containing such oils is maintaining the insoluble silicone oil stably suspended. A variety of materials have been proposed for use in silicone-containing shampoos to thicken and stabilize the shampoo. These materials include, for example, xanthan gum, long chain acyl derivatives, long chain amine oxides, and long chain alkanolamides. These materials are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,788,006, 4,704,272, and 4,741,885. In addition, excessive amounts of silicone can dull hair, and buildup of silicone on the hair can give a greasy appearance. Furthermore, incorporation of silicone oils generally yields a foam suppressing effect. Accordingly, there exists a need for conditioning agents capable of overcoming these problems.